Nawabzaade is an upcoming comedy film starring Raghav Juyal, Dharmesh Yelande, Punit J. Pathak and Isha Rikhi. The film is directed by Jayesh Pradhan and produced by Lizelle D’Souza and Mayur K Barot. The music for the film is composed by Guru Randhawa, Gurinder Seagal and Badshah. I don’t really expect much from the album, looking at the composer names, and I’ll be honest: I’m reviewing it so I don’t have to have only two big albums, Dhadak and Soorma competing in the monthly awards. 😅 So let’s see what entails…

Guru Randhawa continues his spree of rehashing his pop sinhles under T-Series, into Bollywood club tracks; he also continues making the Bollywood variants sound fresher and less raw than the pop songs — giving them a more polished sound. High Rated Gabru is propelled by the two special appearances by Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor, though. The song is your typical Guru Randhawa EDM number that attracts you at first, but wears off with further listens. As for me, it hasn’t worn off yet though, so I guess this is one of the stronger ones. I like the drum beats Guru has put in occasionally, and the club sound still sounds fresh, so I guess he still has the audience grooving. The Female Version is even more unnecessary than having ice cream in December. Aditi Singh Sharma’s over-stylised vocals seem to say “Remember me? I haven’t got a song in Bollywood for a long time, but I still can’t sing in a normal voice.” The Punjabi reprise of the lyrics just sounds odd. The programming in this version isn’t as fresh and bubbly as in the male version, so it’s bound to get less takers.

Badshah too, is made to rehash his tried-and-tested formula, with a steady beat running throughout the song, Tere Naal Nachna is adorned with noises like an Indian auntyji going “Hainn?” The bass line though, is really addictive, and the hookline by newcomer (?) Sunanda Sharma is irresistible. Badshah has the most catchy female singer portions in his songs! Looks like after Aastha Gill, he is now introducing another quirky singer. The lyrics are the usual Badshah rap stuff, while vodka makes a cameo in the hookline, as always.

Lead composer Gurinder Seagal gets three songs to his credit: he doesn’t make much of the opportunity, though. Amma Dekh is a pacy dubstep number that should have been released two or three years ago. Sukriti Kakar awkwardly tries to sing like Neeti Mohan, while Ikka provides a banal rap portion. Gurinder does give it a cool sound though, with a variety of sound effects used throughout the song. Kumaar’s lyrics are nothing except for Sameer’s hookline from the song ‘Amma Dekh’ (Stuntsman).

If that was cringeworthy though, what awaits you in Mummy Kasam will have you wincing in terror. The staid-by-now Bollywood kuthu rhythm has been given a tedious presentation here, with cringeworthy lyrics by Kunaal Vermaa, and weird vocals by Gurinder Seagal. Ikka presents an even worse rap in this song than he did in the former. Payal Dev tries to sound like Neha Kakkar, and obviously fails. Too loud for my liking.

The only song where Gurinder remotely proves that he can compose, and not just program, is Lagi Hawa Dil Ko, which just happens to be the best song of the album because all the others are nowhere near it. It sounds refreshing to get a normal, romantic melody after so much noise, and my brain felt glad to get to process something for once. Altamash Faridi leads the vocals wonderfully, while others like Gurinder Singh, Shivay Vyas, Nettle and even Mika Singh in a short energetic departure from the romantic tune, complement him well. The reason this song stands out from the others is that it has variety. The arrangements are pleasant — guitars, harmonica, tablas, even, in a short Qawwali portion, drums, trumpets and rock guitars in a rock-and-roll portion, this song has a wide range. Sandeep Nath’s lyrics are nothing great, but more of better-than-the-rest.

Except for one experimental song, this album is mainly going to be heard and forgotten. In fact, I can’t even guarantee that the experimental song won’t be forgotten!!

Love Per Square Foot is a Bollywood rom-com that premiered on Netflix this Valentine’s Day. The film stars Vicky Kaushal, Angira Dhar and Alankrita Sahai in lead roles, and is directed by Anand Tiwari, and produced by Ronnie Screwvala. The film’s music has been composed by Sohail Sen, back after a long time; his last was ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ in 2016. Let’s hope his musical style is intact and he delivers yet another enjoyable album!

Sohail Sen’s return to music composition after one and a half years doesn’t hold as much magic as his previous outings used to. That being said, this album takes some time to warm up to, and in the first listen, doesn’t create much of an impact.
Proceedings are kicked off by the entertaining Mumbaiya rap song Yatri Kripaya Dhyaan De, a tribute to all things Mumbai. The residents of the metropolis would feel a certain pride once they listen to this song, as will the train station announcers. The rap by Mumbai’s Finest (Abhishek Dhusia, Sahir Nawab & Sumeet Suvarna) is entertaining, a bit in the style of DIVINE, and thankfully fits snugly into the song. Lively beatboxing starts off the song, but the song kind of loses its connect in the initial one minute or so, until it settles into its place. After that, it is really enjoyable. I love the way Sohail introduces a nice Maharashtrian-flavoured bhajan segment towards the end, and a nice Ganpati dhol taasha rhythm in the interlude. The vocalists seem to be newcomers, but do a great job in conveying the youthfulness of the city.
Udit Narayan, the evergreen singer, the only singer who hasn’t seemed to age, returns after quite some time, with Ishq Mein Bajti Hai Ghanti, an upbeat wedding song led by the quintessential brass band. Sohail also composes it in a typical 90s tune, to help Udit get more comfortable, probably. It still works thanks to the catchy rhythms and composition and of course, the vocals! Nothing particularly new here, though. The lyrics are funny though, comparing love and marriage.
Benny Dayal and Shivangi Bhayana get the weakest song of the album, Chicken Dance, a song whose composition falls all over the place, though the initial adlib is entertaining. The electric guitars do not work at all, and it ends up being a clumsy party number with no recall value. Benny thankfully has the magnetism in his voice to help listeners keep listening, but Shivangi doesn’t have that quality yet!Aashiyana is a beautiful romantic song, the only song of the album whose lyrics (by Abhiruchi Chand) make a huge impact on the song. Altamash Faridi and Tarannum Malik, regulars on Sohail Sen albums, know how to do justice to his music, and so the results in the vocal department are amazing. I commend the composer for not going for Arijit though there was a huge scope, because Altamash’s voice brings a freshness to the song, though slightly over-nasal. Tarannum sings her part beautifully too! The antaras are the best parts of the song, composed in a tune that is easily hummable. The reason the lyrics stand out so much, is the conversational way they have been written, seeming like a tribute to Gulzar, who is also mentioned in the song!Maqbool Hai, the other song by Altamash, is a nice mellow number, starting off with an operatic piece, and seguing into a very Bhatt-ish but very hauntingly catchy melody that wins your heart over. Again, Altamash sings his heart out, creating beautiful effects. The Rahman touch is audible in the song as well, and somehow it sounds like a song that resembles songs from 2008-2009. It still sounds fresh though.
Rekha Bhardwaj ends the album with two versions of a classically-based melody Raaz Apne Dil Ke, a song that fares better and seems more lovable in its Indian Version, with arrangements that complement the composition — tablas, played in a soothing rhythm, and a wonderful tanpura setting the mood for a wonderful classical listen. The Western Versionsounds like the composition is uncomfortable with the clumsy “doo doo doo da” with which the song starts, not to mention the digital beats in the background. Not the very best examples of fusion, but there is still a hint of classical music (sarangi) here too, which makes it bearable, at least.

Sohail Sen has done better than this previously, but overall, the album is enjoyable, with a mixed variety of songs, and none being utterly bad!

Baadshaho is an upcoming crime action thriller, starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Vidyut Jammwal, Ileana D’Cruz, Esha Gupta and Sanjay Mishra in lead roles. The film is directed by Milan Luthria, and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Milan Luthria. The film follows the story of a gold robbery from a train in the 1970s. The music album is yet another of those albums produced by T-Series wherein a load of people have been hired to remake songs. Here too, we have three remakes, two by Tanishk Bagchi, and one by Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Café, who remake Saint Kabir’s songs. Ankit Tiwari has done the last song, and it is an original song. Let’s see just how un-royal this album is.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Qawwali that has suddenly gotten a popularity spurt, had to be remade in a Bollywood film, and it happens to be this one. It appears in three versions. Tanishk ropes in Rahat, which is an apt decision, but nevertheless, the song is a letdown. Rahat sings in a very painfully high-pitched voice, and Tanishk gives it a very modern and digital based arrangement, making the song lose its soul. And those backing vocalists are just a pain to the ears. Tulsi Kumar’s version is surprisingly less high-pitched and hence less harsh to the ears. But the backing vocalists ruin it again. DJ Chetas’ remix is abominable. The lyrics have been modified to make it more Bollywoodish, but it gets more boring and tedious. The most tedious and loud romantic song ever!

Rating: 2/5 for Rahat Version, 2.5/5 for Tulsi Version, 1/5 for Remix

2. Piya More

Ankit’s only song in the album is an item song, which features Emraan Hashmi with Sunny Leone. The composer has used the composition of his old song ‘Nasha Sar Pe Chadke Bole’ (Dee Saturday Night), and made it, and that had a very nice 50s-ish sound in the hookline. However, legal issues followed, and he changed the hook tune, making it sound so distorted, it is disgusting. So now I don’t like the hook tune, and the rest of the song was anyway a typical item song tune. Neeti’s vocals are awesome, but Mika (a double track of his vocals, God save us) sounds horrendous. The arrangements are nice, and the sarangi interlude is fun. Lyrics are bad. Could’ve been much better!

Again, this song was a remake of ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’ (Deewaar), until they changed it recently, and now it seems like they’ve tried to erase any trace of the old song. I don’t know why. Now it sounds so forced, I don’t know why they would interfere with art that way. The tune seems tweaked and stretched everywhere, to try to take it out of the ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’ mould. The funniest part is that now, there’s no mention of ‘Socha Hai’ in the song, which was there before. The vocals are good, but for Neeti’s portion, it sounds like somebody has a cloth tied around her mouth, which made her voice muffled. That sounds bad! Tanishk’s new antaras are the best parts of the song. Previously they had parts of the old song there too, but sadly those are gone too. Oh and the two versions are just one that is edited out of the other — why couldn’t they just keep it one version?? I don’t know what’s going on, but this song got a horrible makeover.

Rating: 2.5/5 for Short Version, 2.5/5 for Long Version

4. Hoshiyar Rehna

Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Cafe remakes traditional folk songs by Kabirdas. Here they present us with a very staid and clichéd and very preachy folk number that tries to tug at your heart, but is too weak. The song proceeds very monotonously, and the dialogues thrown in increase its heaviness. The arrangements are good with the Rajasthani touch, but again, some variations in terms of arrangements would’ve been welcome! Even Neeraj’s vocals are quite bland. Very straightforward and preachy, boring song.

Rating: 2.5/5

Baadshaho Is the typical below average multicomposer, full of remakes fare. It has four songs, out of which three are remakes, and then it has three versions of the remade songs. The only original song too, sounds like a distorted 50s song. There’s nothing Royal about this album!

Bareilly Ki Barfi is an upcoming Bollywood rom-com, starring Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Rajkummar Rao in lead roles. The film is directed by ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ fame Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and produced by Nitesh Tiwari and Shreyas Jain. The movie revolves around the Mishra family, who are in search for a suitable groom for their daughter, played by Sanon. The complexities and pressure of getting married is too much for Bitti, Sanon’s character, and she decides to run away. On the run, she finds a book, ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ at the train station, and picks it up, only to realise that the female protagonist thinks a lot like her! Thus she embarks on a quest to look for this someone who thinks so much like her. The story seems very content-driven, but that’s not to stop it from having some good music; in fact, most content-driven films have better music than others! Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s first film, ‘Nil Battey Sannata’, had an awesome album completely composed by a newcomer duo, Rohan-Vinayak. This time, the makers go for the multicomposer route. Tanishk Bagchi, Tanishk-Vayu, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Samira Koppikar and Sameer Uddin are composing the music for this film. As I am expecting an overall good album, and since every name is a known name (even Sameer Uddin, who is the one who had done those remixes in ‘Bluffmaster’ long ago) I don’t think I need to say what I expect from each of them individually! So let’s help ourselves to this ‘Barfi’!

1. Sweety Tera Drama

An aptly U.P. flavoured start to the album, the first song is a fun and upbeat dance number, along the lines of ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’s title song. Coincidentally, the man behind it is Tanishk, the composer of that song. The composition is very fun and enjoyable, and the composer has kept it relevantly short; such songs are least enjoyable if they ramble on for four minutes and longer. The shortness gives it a crisp feel, and leaves you wanting more. There is one mukhda and one antara, both composed entertainingly. The arrangements too resemble those of ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ title song, with the dholaks (Naveen Sharma), harmoniums and bulbultarang (Pradip Pandit) and quirky digital beats. The star music is amazing, especially that sarangi bit by Sangeet, that is so easy to miss! Tanishk adds very fun sound effects like that rap by Pravesh Mallick, then a random but funny “Myujik” that just plays anytime. His digital instrumentation is fun as well. The song has been sung by three singers and the rapper. The rapper, as stated before, brings out the U.P. flavour very well, and begins on a promising note. Dev Negi is his usual fun self, while Pawni and Shraddha, the two female vocalists, with two lines each, make a difference even with the little scope! Shabbir Ahmed’s lyrics are fun too! A fun dance number that strives to be simple but sweet!

Arko steps forth to present his song, and as is the requisite whenever Arko composes for a multicomposer album nowadays, he gets to do the romantic song of the album. Well, since he is so good at making these, it seems logical. This song here, is yet another example of his romantic song composing skills. The composition is charming, but there is one small drawback, and that is that it takes a long time to grow. It consists of many twists and turns, and isn’t instantly hooking like most of his other songs. The second antara is particularly beautiful. The hookline manages to get the audience charmed. The lyrics though, are beautiful, and are another instance of how beautiful Arko himself writes!! The song appears in three versions, though, and one does feel that it is one too many. Arko doesn’t sing this song as well as he sang ‘Kaari Kaari’ (Dobaara), ‘Dariya’ (Baar Baar Dekho) or ‘Saathi Rey’ (Kapoor & Sons), and thus, his version comes across as slightly boring. The arrangements in this version also resemble ‘Tere Sang Yaara’ (Rustom) with those extra sugary Duff rhythms and synthesizer tune (Keys by Aditya Dev). It reduces the likability a bit. Ayushmann increases the ear-friendliness of the song with his trademark charming voice, and renders it with ease. His style of rounding the vowels makes the song sound so much like he has composed it himself. The variations he takes on many notes, which Arko had not, makes the song sound more layered. The arrangements too, get more Ayushmann-ish, with acoustic guitars (Krishna Pradhan), but the Arko-ness is retained with the amazing piano notes. Thankfully, the Duff rhythms are done away with. The last version happens to be a female version; a version I personally feel was least required. So Zee Music releases videos of singers singing covers of hit songs, and I almost know that this version will be used as that. Not to take it away from Sumedha though; she sings beautifully! Arko arranges this one with a soothing flute, but nothing else really stands out! A romantic song that features so many times, we have no choice but to love it!

Rating: 4/5 for Arko’s Version, 4.5/5 for Ayushmann’s Version, 3.5/5 for Sumedha’s Version

3. Twist Kamariya

The next song has Tanishk coming back together with his partner with which he debuted, Vayu. They keep coming back together occasionally, and it is quite fun. Though their last song ‘Beat It Bijuriya’ could’ve been better, this one is a real treat. The composition is very simple, and if it were not for the amazingly quirky beats and arrangements, the song would not have sounded half as good. Of course, a very templated dhol rhythm accompanies the song, but a very quirky digital sound also comes along with that and everything sounds so innovative. The interlude is amazing, with the dhols and shehnaai. Rock guitars are really electrifying in the antara. The hookline, the way it is sung, is so cool. The pause between ‘Twist’ and ‘Kamariya’ really makes the difference. Im probably hearing Harshdeep Kaur in this zany avatar for the first time. I mean, she has sung upbeat numbers, but not so crazily funny! Tanishk-Vayu’s lyrics are a clever mix of Bhojpuri and Hindi and English. A song that calls for loud whistles and cheers in the theatre! U.P. folk meets techno music!

Rating: 4/5

4. Bairaagi / Bairaagi (Samira Koppikar Version)

Samira Koppikar, who really pleasantly surprised me with her song in ‘Dobaara’ earlier this year, jumps onto the album next, with a melancholic song that is sung by –obviously — Arijit! The song is good, I can’t take that away from it. But somewhere the composition evokes so many memories of previous Arijit songs that were composed on the same rock lounge-ish template. It actually sounds like a Pritam song when that beautiful backing chorus comes in, and that’s probably the best effect of the song. The composition too, is beautiful, and hits the heart straight. I just don’t think I would listen to it a lot. The vocals are, obviously spot-on. What can be expected when it is Arijit? Fortunately, there’s another version, possibly for the music lovers. Samira sings this one, and it starts with a heavenly chorus by her. She sings in beautifully, and is first of all supported by a wonderfully soothing folksy string instrument, evoking memories of ‘Sahiba’ (Phillauri). Later that Punjabi feel is increased, when a nice dholak-led rhythm sets in. This version is definitely better than Arijit’s. The lyrics by Puneet Sharma are aptly romantic and melancholic at the same time. The word ‘bairaag‘ is a word I don’t think I’ve heard in a Bollywood song after ‘Laal Ishq’ (Ram-Leela)! Beautiful song, but might not stay with me for long.

Rating: 3.5/5 for Arijit’s Version, 4/5 for Samira’s Version

5. Badass Babua

A relatively newer addition to the album (as the composer Sameer Uddin wasn’t credited in the trailer or first poster of the film), this one is a funky “gangsta” song, probably made for Rajkummar’s character in the movie. The U.P. vagabond and rowdy feel is brought out with entertaining lyrics rendered with spunk by Abhishek Nailwal and the composer himself. The gangster feels are brought out by the rap, the techno beats and the overbearing sinister tone. The composition is catchy, but again, not a very lasting tune. The arrangements are more of what the song might be remembered for, if at all. The vocals are fine, and obviously the male singers have done an amazing job, or else, it wouldn’t have sounded so much like a gangster song full of attitude. Neha Bhasin is sidelined unfortunately, and reminds me of Ambili’s portions in ‘Hum Hain Bank Chor’ (Bank Chor). Entertaining, but not everlasting.

Rating: 3/5

Bareilly Ki Barfi is a relatively good multicomposer album. I think these days, the quality of multicomposer albums is definitely increasing, because makers now know the formula for it. You obviously need two upbeat numbers to increase the album’s hit status, and of course, a romantic song, a sad song (preferably by Arijit) and then a couple of versions. Zee seems to have mastered the formula, and they produce another album like ‘Behen Hogi Teri’, which is a mix of styles from different composers, yet comes together as a united album. With a mixed variety of songs, these multiple composers have come up with a nice, khatti-meethi Barfi!

Mubarakan is an upcoming Bollywood romantic comedy of errors starring Arjun Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, Athiya Shetty and Ratna Pathak Shah in the lead roles. The film is directed by the only director in Bollywood who still insists on doing comedies with a cast larger than a herd of cows, Anees Bazmee and produced by Ashwin Varde, Murad Khetani and Balwinder Singh Janjua. The film’s plot consists of such never-before-tried aspects like — double roles, a love quadrangle, a huge Punjabi family and Punjabi dance numbers. It is going to redefine Bollywood, I’m sure of it. 😏 If you didn’t get that sarcasm, moving on. The music is by T-Series, and that means multiple composers. Thankfully, one name out of the three composers, is a relief, it being the name of Amaal Mallik, the young composer proving his mettle out there. He gets two, upbeat dance tracks, so I hope those are catchy! The next two composers are Gourov-Roshin, returning after treating us to a small break from their remakes, and sadly they have three songs, and Rishi Rich with Yash Anand, who have composed the title song of the film. Let’s just get this over with, eh?

1. The Goggle Song

A wedding song to start the album, this one is an enjoyable tune from Amaal. Not the best he can do for sure, but it still makes you groove to the beat. The beat itself is infectious, with the composer adding quirky sound effects making it sound better. The ensemble of singers does really well for a wedding song, and for once, Tulsi sounds better than Neeti. The lyrics are mediocre, but hilarious at times. A good wedding track, but not very innovative.Rating: 3.5/5

2. Mubarakan (Title Track)

“This is the Rishi Rich beat.” The song starts with this obvious statement, and an unexpected incorporation of some portions ‘Yamma Yamma’ (Shaan). The actual composition falls flat, but it is saved by R.D. Burman’s old song, which plays throughout, and its addition was quite creative. Vocals are horrible. Lyrics are horrible. Rap is horrible. Arrangements are not so horrible. (Mostly, it is the awesome oud from the old song). In short, a horrible song, but for the arrangements and the old song’s portions.
P.S. I wouldn’t call this a Remake as such.Rating: 2.5/5 (0.5 bonus for using that old song wisely)

3. Jatt Jaguar

Another typical Punjabi song, the Punjabi flavour accentuated even more by a mediocre composition that barely manages to grasp your attention, except at the hook. Even Vishal doesn’t sound as energetic as always, but Navraj does. Lyrics are typical. Arrangements are typical, but there are traces Amaal’s digital quirks. At many places the tune seems like some old song I can’t recall! 😥 Not the best Amaal can do.Rating: 2.5/5

4. Haathon Mein Thhe Haath

A typical Pakistani pop-esque song follows, and it immediately strikes me as Papon’s worst song after a long, long time. The composition is staid and clichéd, his vocals do not help at all. Aditi sounds over stylish as usual. Those typical digital beats add to the melancholia. Backing vocalists add to the staleness, especially the Sufi one. Lyrics are something you won’t even notice. A song that clearly doesn’t know where it belongs.Rating: 2.5/5

5. Hawa Hawa

The hit Pakistani pop song remade, with a typppppical kuthu beat and rhythm! Mika singing increases the headache, and the new composition is just unbearable. The hookline is good, but the other parts fall flat. The female vocals by Prakriti sound good though. Lyrics belong to a Sajid-Wajid soundtrack. Why????Rating: 2.5/5

6. Dil Dhadke Louder Louder

Another Punjabi folksy song ends the album, this time a mélange of two Punjabi folk songs, ‘Kala Doriya’ and ‘Baari Barsi’. The composition doesn’t hook you at all; in fact it sounds like ‘Jatt Jaguar Part 2’. The new singer Rinku Giri is the typical Punjabi male singer affair, he sounds like Diljit Dosanjh. Arrangements are “louder louder”. Lyrics are typical. A song that relies on folk songs to propel it, but fails.Rating: 2/5

Mubarakan is yet another feather in Bollywood’s cap of Punjabi albums. All of the songs are very staid, heard-before ones, that don’t really help generate any interest. Amaal does okayish in one song, but showcases his quirk in the other. The others perform subpar, with the exception of Rishi Rich, who has made quite a catchy song. But even with its catchiness I couldn’t rate it higher than 2.5. So, for anyone counting, Mubarakan! Another flop album has been born!

Raabta is an upcoming Bollywood romantic reincarnation drama, starring Kriti Sanon, Sushant Singh Rajput, Jim Sarbh, Varun Sharma and Rajkummar Rao. The film is the directorial debut of already many times successful producer, Dinesh Vijan. The film is produced by him along with Homi Adajania, Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar. The film’s official gist is this: “When a human being dies, they lose 21 grams from the body. This, they say, is the weight of the soul. The journey of a soul transcends over space and time… beyond the realms of this earth. This film tells the story of two seemingly ordinary individuals, going about their lives until their paths cross and they realize that they belong with one another. Unaware of a connection that was forged several hundred years ago, Shiv and Saira are inexplicably drawn to each other, and it takes them on a hysterical rollercoaster of love, intrigue, entertainment and life (twice over!). When two souls unite, they become one.” 😴 Hopefully, it is executed well. The music of the film is by JAM8, and a guest composition by Meet Bros. also features on the album. I guess we all know the controver(sies) surrounding the music of the film, due to that one guest song, so there is no point reiterating them. We all know who the actual composer of the songs credited to JAM8 is, but he wishes that his name shouldn’t be associated with ‘Raabta’ because of his policy to only compose for solo-composer albums, so there’s no point in naming him. I just hope the music company learns its lessons and reconsiders it’s actions!! On this grave (😄) note, let’s start with the music review of ‘Raabta’.

The album starts off with a very happy-go-lucky, romantic club number, with a lilting yet groovy sound. The composition has the stamp of Pritam all over it, and the way it flows is in the trademark way that almost all Pritam songs flow. The song’s melody starts off right with the hook, which is a wonderfully composed piece, that efficiently works in pulling you into the song. The antara following it, too, is very happy-sounding and charming, but it is the last stanza, which I call the ‘conclusion’ because it just doesn’t seem like an antara, is what steals the thunder. That part has been composed in a very entrancing manner, and is a major throwback to the corresponding ‘conclusion’ part in Pritam’s ‘Tu Chahiye’ (Bajrangi Bhaijaan). The high-pitched bridge line that leads to the hookline, is just amazing. The arrangements are quite similar to Pritam’s previous club song arrangements, with the upbeat EDM portions, and that wonderful “chipmunk” that we heard in ‘The Breakup Song’ (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) last year. There is a Sajid-Wajid touch in the arrangements somewhere (‘Mukhtasar’ from ‘Teri Meri Kahaani’ and ‘Raat Bhar’ from ‘Heropanti’). But on a whole, the EDM has a very international touch to it, and it sounds like JAM8 is trying to recreate Pritam’s club arrangements in an international style. But because I always something out-of-this-world in a Pritam club song, and since this song is by his company, this song was quite underwhelming in that department. The pumped-up portions of the arrangements sometimes clash with Arijit’s super-high-pitch, and that sounds quite odd at times. That brings us to Arijit’s vocals. Definitely not the best he’s performed, but he still manages to carry the song in a quite charismatic way, and doesn’t drive you to sleep like he did in ‘Half Girlfriend’. But of course, the parts where he goes super-high-pitch, made me uncomfortable, and that doesn’t happen with every other singer. In the second version of the song which takes a sans EDM route, and is more reliant on guitars to propel it, everything that sounded wrong in the arrangements is set right. A slight rock guitar backdrop makes the song lighter than it was in the original version, and definitely more enjoyable. The company also replaces the fun chipmunk-like EDM with a nice vocal chorus, which gives off ‘Tum Mile’ vibes somehow,and immediatel removes all Sajid-Wajid vibes. As for the vocals, they have improved due to Jubin’s smooth treatment of the composition, taking care not to sound like he is straining his voice too much, and handling the high notes much better than Arijit did. And the small nuance he takes while singing “yaara” and all of its rhyming words, is just magnificent! In the conclusion stanza, Jubin gets to sing an entirely differently-tuned line that fits in perfectly and sounds as good as its counterpart in the original version. Oh, and it is a welcome change, considering that we have been hearing the original for over a month now. So this reprise is really one of the best reprises to have come out, ever! Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics are great, and suitable for a fun romantic number. I don’t know what I missed in the first version, but something is surely missing. To cover it up though, the Reprise takes a nice romantic twist!

The recreation craze continues as ‘Raabta’ (Agent Vinod) is recreated in this movie, which takes its name from that song. But how fortunate are we, that the man who made the original song, is the one who is remaking it (through his company, that is). The track, originally a romantic number, and probably the first time Arijit Singh actually came into large notice, though he had sung other songs before that, has now been remade into a dance track for the film. But this dance track is as far from a regular Bollywoodish dance track as you can imagine. It has a very quite and soothing vibe to it, and a very unexpected twist in the form of a nice interruption wherein JAM8 introduces to Bollywood, a new genre of music called ‘Tropical House’, which sounds like some techno Caribbean music. Anyway, the new composition that the group has made for the remake, is great. The mukhda, sung by newbie (in Bollywood) Nikhita Gandhi, is charming and scintillating, with its romantic vibes really reaching you. The way they have joined it to the hookline of the original song too, is quite cool. The time the song goes downhill is when, after the nice and refreshing Tropical interlude, Arijit comes back to reprise his portion, the antara from the original song, a part I felt didn’t quite merge with this song. Yes, I know that if the hookline adapted well into this song, every other part should too, but I just didn’t feel the antara this time. When it went back to the new composition, I started grooving to the beats again. So it was like a sudden disconnection from the song. But then, JAM8 makes up for it in the fantabulous (which is a very small word to describe it!) ‘conclusion’ part of the song, which has a lilting and entrancing tune. Especially the oddly-but-fantastically placed line, “Jo bhi hai manzoor hai!”, is a wonderful bridge from the ‘Conclusion’ to the hookline. And the continuous EDM beats, really infuse life into the song. The composers also add wonderful piano notes occasionally, and the guitars that start off the song are so vibrant! So I guess I have already spoken about the arrangements as much as I could. Moving on to the vocals, Nikhita Gandhi, another singer from the Rahman camp of singers, joins Pritam’s camp for this one (quite similar a story to that of the other well known ‘Gandhi’ singer, Jonita — not sisters!) And she totally owns her debut. Yes, Arijit gets the major part in the song, but because she opens it so smashingly, the listeners get hooked and keep waiting for her voice to return. Sadly, it comes back only for the hooklines. Arijit is his usual self, trying to be charming , succeeding and also acing that aforementioned ‘conclusion’ portion. Irshad Kamil writes the new lyrics for this song, wrapping Amitabh Bhattacharya’s already awesome lyrics with an awesomeness of his own. A song that takes itself miles away from its original, neither better nor worse, but just at par, in a different genre. Barring the copy-paste antara, the song is quite good.

In the next song, JAM8 cuts out the whole international feel that was looming over the album all this time, to replace it with a street hip-hop number in Punjabi style. And I must say, how disappointed I was, hearing this song. The composer takes a very weird route with this song. There isn’t much by way of composition, but whatever is, sounds like very often recycled Punjabi lines used innumerable times. Like the antaras. And the mukhda just starts off so abruptly, it takes time to adjust to it. Actually, a rap starts the song, and it is quite obnoxious. Raftaar. That “Sadda Move Move” line by Raftaar is so irritating. The hookline of the song, too, isn’t too impressive. Arrangements are what lift the song up for me. That flute loop that plays every now and then is just insane — a glimpse of the trademark Pritam-ish insanity that JAM8 has so far, cruelly kept out of this album. The digital beats are quite groovy, but they don’t really provide anything new and innovative, which is what I would like to hear when I listen to a Punjabi street hip-hop number. The tumbi and “burrrhhhaaaa“s are the typical Punjabi people clichés, thrust into the song just to stereotype Punjabi music. But I must say, the dhols are quite engaging. The vocals are above average — Diljit sounds good but not excellent; probably the composition is barring me from liking his rendition too. On the other hand, his co-singer, Pradeep Singh Sran, who made it big in Bollywood with his song ‘Cutiepie’ (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil), brings back his Labh Janjua-ish voice and steals the listeners’ hearts. Raftaar is strictly annoying, and his rap is least enjoyable. Overall the song has a strong Meet Bros-ish vibe. Legends Amitabh Bhattacharya & Irshad Kamil come together to write something that Kumaar or Shabbir Ahmed would’ve written by themselves, if they had been approached. Quite stereotypical, and ‘enjoyable’ would be an exaggeration. A clear dip in the level of the album.

After three relatively happy-sounding songs, it was necessary, I guess, for the composers to bring in a touch of pathos in the album. So they bring a sad song sung by Arijit, which I feel is loosely modelled on Pritam’s ‘Channa Mereya’ (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil), because of the slight Sufi touch to it. The composition, I have to say, is something that disappointed me highly. I just couldn’t find anything great in it. The song is trying so hard to be emotional, but manages to ve not even one bit emotional! And that almost never happens with Pritam songs. The first two stanzas are composed on the same tune, and that is a major drawback, because it is what makes the song sound very, very monotonous. The very first line of the song made me think, “What?” because the music that starts off the song is very promising! After that it becomes a crying fest, something so overdramatic I wouldn’t have expected it to be a song from a big banner films as ‘Raabta’. The hookline is so unidimensional, it hardly managed to touch my heart as an emotional song should. The composition ends with another “conclusion” stanza, and this time, that stanza is clearly trying to emulate the “conclusion” of ‘Channa Mereya’ (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) with its composition, arrangements and Arijit’s singing style. The arrangements of the song are also very heard-before, and stale arrangements. The Dholak rhythm has gotten so old and typical, I wish no composer uses it in sad songs anymore! The music that starts the song though, the violin one, is very good! And that is what made me believe the rest of the song too, would follow suit. Arijit sings this one with utmost lack of expression, almost like a robot. It seems he spent all his energy in ‘Ik Vaari Aa’. The Faridi brothers pitch in for a good but again, clichéd, Sufi interlude, that only makes the song sound more artificial. Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics are good, but not amazing. A sad song that makes me sad that it had to be in this film.

Guest composers, Meet Bros, step into the album now, for their remake of the popular track of J-Star’s, ‘Na Na Na Na’. Now there’s a huge controversy regarding who stole the song from whom and blah blah blah. But besides all that, I think the whole nation is raving about the song and how catchy it is. The original was definitely one of the catchiest pop songs of that year and even now, and Meet Bros try to keep its catchiness intact. They have built a typical Bollywoodish composition around it, which sounds least like a Meet Bros. composition, and more like a Pritam one. How coincidental because JAM8’s ‘Sadda Movie’s sounded like a Meet Bros song. The Mukhda starts the song off on a very nice tune, and expectations rise right away. It is the antara that could’ve been better, and repeating each Antara twice was not needed; it just made the song that much longer. The hook… Do I need to speak about it! 😀 The arrangements too, are very similar to Pritam’s, complete with the chipmunk noises here too. The club sounds are great as well, and make the song enjoyable at all points. The vocals are energetic, with Arijit replenishing all his drained energy, and giving a very spunky rendition of the song. Is it just me, or does anyone else also think he sounds amazing in upbeat numbers as well!? Neha cannot match up to her co-singer’s level and performs a bit disappointingly this time. Meet Bros. also come and sing an interlude that would have sounded better had it stayed out of the album. 😥 And after that, there’s a lady’s voice that says “I Wanna be your boyfriend.” 😮 Kumaar’s lyrics are the usual type of lyrics that go into such songs. A song that I didn’t expect much from, since it was a remake, turns out to be quite foot-tapping!

Rating: 3.5/5

6. Darasal

Singer ~ Atif Aslam, Music by ~ JAM8, Lyrics by ~ Irshad Kamil

“Inkaar mein jo chhupa hai woh ikraar ho!”

– Irshad Kamil

Finally, to finish off the album, JAM8 bring an Atif Aslam romantic melody, something that is quite quintessential in recent T-Series albums. As soon as the song started, it reminded me of ‘Jeena Jeena’ (Badlapur) because of the similar pattern of the guitar piece. The composition is actually very sweet, and it is also slow-paced like ‘Jeena Jeena’, and would suit well for a waltzy arrangement too. But JAM8 choose to keep things minimal and grace the song with nothing more than a nice and sweet guitar riff, and occasional amazing strings. The tune, though slow-paced, grows on you instantly. It is instantly likeable, unlike all the other JAM8 songs in the album, which I took some time to get accustomed to (Except the Jubin ‘Ik Vaari Aa’). I loved the way how they repeated the last line of every antara twice, and the last line of the song thrice. The antara itself is very calm and soothing, and gives a very breezy feel to the song. In the Mukhda, the line where he repeats the words twice, is just outstanding! (“Teri Ada, Ada Pe Marta…” etc.) This is actually what is expected from an ideal romantic comedy. Sadly, it comes in at the end of this album! 😪 Atif’s vocals are some of the best I’ve heard from him in quite a while; he sings the song with a totally different charm than he sung his other songs of late. It draws the picture of the typical boy-next-door image in Bollywood rom-coms. Kamil’s lyrics are just beautiful! Some of them are just salute-worthy, like the one I’ve featured up there at the beginning of this song’s review. Finally, a cute romantic song that befits the film’s romantic aspects.

Rating: 4.5/5

Raabta is an album I wouldn’t have expected (read, I would have expected much more) from a romantic film like this. Most of the songs are prohibited to be the usual fun-and-frolic that we associate with Pritam, for no specific reason. In fact, the dance song from guests Meet Bros is better than the dance song from JAM8 itself. JAM8 sticks to a very conventional route, save the title track, and only manages to deliver well in two songs in that conventional barrier (‘Darasal’ and ‘Ik Vaari Aa’). But I can’t take away from the album that, as an entire album, it is full of variety and sounds good. It is just lacking on the innovative quotient, and likeability quotient, and hence, the repeat value. ‘Raabta’ means ‘connection’, but there is a slight breach in this Raabta!

Begum Jaan is an upcoming Bollywood period film, starring Vidya Balan, Ila Arun, Gauhar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Mishti Chakraborty, Raviza Chauhan, Priyanka Setia, Flora Saini, Ridheema Tiwary, Poonam Rajput, Gracy Goswami, Pitobash Tripathy, Ashish Vodyarthi, Chunky Pandey and Naseeruddin Shah. The film has been directed by National-Award-Winnig Director Srijit Mukherji, and produced by Mahesh Bhatt, Vishesh Bhatt and Play Entertainment. The film is the official Bollywood remake of Srijit’s Bengali film, ‘Rajkahini’. The film, set in 1947, is about a brothel, and how the Radcliffe line that decided the borders of India and Pakistan during Independence, passes right through the middle of it. The struggle of the ladies at the brothel, and their fight for their home, os what constitutes the story. The concept seems great, and with great actors, it is sure to get amazing response. The music of the film has been composed by Anu Malik, and it is a perfect choice; he would be able to do the music of the era better than most of the younger composers. Anu himself says he hasn’t heard the music of the Bengali original film, so as not to be influenced by it, and I haven’t heard it either, so as not to compare. Anu Malik has composed five songs for the movie, with one of them having two versions, making it a total of six tracks. So let’s see how the album turns out!

Of course, this song was the one about which rumours were pouring in right from the day Anu Malik must have recorded it. And why? The answer is simple — none other than living legend Asha Bhosle had sung it. So headlines like “ASHA BHOSLE, LIVING LEGEND, GIVES VOICE TO VIDYA BALAN”, or “ANU MALIK AND ASHA BHOSLE COMBO BACK TOGETHER” popped up at me many a time. Yes, the song has been sung by Asha Bhosle, who was last heard in a forgettable (and already forgotten) song from ’31st October’. This song, however, has no chance to be forgotten. The composition is a serene, classical composition, which just touches your heart right away. Yes, it might take time to grow for some, because it is quite slow-paced, and, being a classical song, it has quite a paucity of aalaaps and murkis, but then, you can’t expect all classical songs to be replicas of each other, can you? So the tune that Anu Malik finally presents to us is amazing, though it has got some barriers in some places, like I said before, the slow pace. The composer makes up for this with the wonderful classical arrangements, which make a breeze of fresh air blow against your (ears???) face. The tanpura paves the way for something marvellous right in the beginning, and surely, a wonderful oudtakes over, and booming, grand percussions join after some time, accompanied by the innocent sound of the paayals. One highlight in the arrangements is the wonderful second interlude, which features a RAVISHING sitar instrumental piece which just steals your breath! And the antara that follows is a musical masterpiece; something that only the old composers of Bollywood are capable of doing. That stanza has a wonderful tune, a wonderful strings background, and then, when the tabla finally joins the song (quite late, but still worth it!) you feel utterly satisfied with the song! The paayal jingle at the end of the song signifies a beautiful end to it. The song has two version, both of which have the same arrangements but differ in the vocals. One is by Asha Bhosle, while the other is by Kavita Seth. (By the way, I didn’t see any headlines saying “KAVITA SETH SINGS A SONG FOR ‘BEGUM JAAN'” before the album released.) Asha Bhosle’s version sounds more like a romantic song, with her very sweet voice, which is quite intact, as it was even twenty years ago, considering her age! When I first heard her version when it released I thought she hadn’t done some of the aalaaps properly, but then I heard Kavita’s version and automatically started liking Asha’s. Kavita sings the song more impactfully, demolishing any traces of it being a romantic song — she has sung a bit too loudly, and she misses even more aalaps and sings in a very plain and straightforward tone. It sounded weird at first, but it is passable. Kausar Munir’s lyrics are good but could have been better, more layered. A wonderful classical romantic song to start the album off.

A pathos-filled, heart-rending melody is what follows the semiclassical romantic song. This song describes the pain and suffering of the people, who had to migrate to the other side of the border, after the partition of India. And very graphically, Anu Malik has brought that pain right into his composition. Right from the moment it starts, till the moment it ends, the song has a composition that will make it hard for you not to flinch in pain, just by hearing it. The mukhda is wonderful, and the “aah nikli hai yahaan” verse is very pleasant-sounding, but it has been written cleverly, sarcastically. Clearly, the distress that the people felt on leaving their homes was paramount. The antara is what makes the song as heart-rending as ever; it has strings of melancholic notes that hit right at the heart. The way each line sounds different from the other is amazing. It reminds you of Anu Malik’s ‘Border’ and ‘Refugee’ days. The only drawback I can think of about the song is its duration — over six and a half minutes long. (Almost all of the songs of ‘Border’ and ‘Refugee’ too, were that long! 😄) But it is kind of repetitive to be listening to for so long. Anyway, since the composition is good, I’m cool with it. The arrangements are very impressive. The beautiful use of the shehnaai throughout the song leaves you amazed. Furthermore, the second antara has a wonderful Sufi rhythm to it, and the percussion throughout the song is just ravishing. The nagadas at the beginning are really great in giving you the feel that something epic is going to follow. The twinkly (xylophone??) sounds that the song abounds in, are pleasures to the ears. Anu Malik has outdone himself wih the use of strings and percussion in the song. The two singers make this song enrapturing. Rahat’s rustic voice sets the atmosphere for a pathos-filled song, while Sonu Nigam accompanies him with an aptly moving rendition — his parts reminded me a lot of ‘Sandese Aate Hain’ (Border). Finally, it is time to talk about Kausar Munir’s colossally great lyrics. I must not spoil it for you; so please listen to them very carefully! This song won’t be noticed by too many people, at least not in this era dominated by raps and club songs, but whoever does notice it, would definitely love it!

Another poignant melody makes its way into the soundtrack, and this time it is a bidaai song, but of course, metaphorically. More about that later. The composition is a sinister and melancholic melody that effectively transfers its sadness to the listener. Anu Malik has composed this one with all his heart and soul, and again, it reminds me of some 90s song which probably Jaspinder Narula would’ve sung for him. The “teri bindiya nikharke…” verse is amazing, and very soulful. The title of the song comes as a bridge between two verses, or an ending to a verse, instead of using it as a hookline. The antara too has been composed very soulfully, and it instantly hooks you, especially the “soja soja gudiya soja” part. The arrangements infuse even more grandeur, in a very earthy way, into the song. The star of the arrangements is hands-down, the flute, which Anu has interspersed in between the poignant melody. The percussion is booming and very thought-provoking, and whatever is the intention of having it so booming and powerful, that intention has been served; the song is as impactful as it can get. I can just imagine what an impact it’ll have in the theatre. Again, Anu makes wonderful use of the paayals, and the strings, especially that wonderful crescendo of the strings in the beginning of the song, which really reminded me of Rahman’s ‘Rangeela’ songs. Kalpana Patowary, who is known as the Bhojpuri queen, has done such a song for the first time in her life, I guess! And she aces it! This avatar of hers is way better than all those weird songs she has sung before in Bollywood, and she handles all the nuances so expertly, that it is something to wonder why no composer has tried it out before. A big thanks to Malik for doing it. Altamash has a single line that plays multiple times, and it is like an interlude, not making much difference to the grand performance that Kalpana has already stolen away. Kausar Munir’s lyrics are literally bidaai lyrics, but there’s definitely a deeper meaning that could only be discerned after the film releases. I even have a theory, but let’s not hypothesize here. And I’m sure, wherever this song fits into the film, that scene would be enhanced manifold. Anu Malik concludes the song with a grand symphonic strings and flutes and percussion intersection. An extremely captivating composition, that amazes with its sinister sound.

The moment this song starts, you know that it is a playful song, and after all that serious romance and pathos that filled the previous songs, you are nothing but ready for it! And what a pleasant surprise you get when you find that it is a purely classical Holi song (as if that wasn’t discernible from the title, but then… Whatever.) Anu Malik composed this song very intrinsically, every note resounding in your ears after it plays. The overall sound of the song itself, is so delightful, and it just goes to tell you, that Anu has gone a long way after he did that ‘Do Me A Favour Let’s Play Holi’ (Waqt) song that is oh-so-infamous among Indians. Yes, it has an old-world-charm to it, but happens to please you very much, with its happy-go-lucky tune. Every line sounds different from the preceding one, and again, just as in ‘Aazaadiyan’, that’s what makes the composition so special. The antara is even better in terms of composition, where things calm down, and it is extremely soothing. The arrangements make the song sound even more exquisite. The percussion throughout the song gives a very grand feel to the celebratory song, and folk instruments like the nagadas, bansuri, rabaab, tablas, and dholaks. The rhythm is a very traditional Holi rhythm, being played in so many Holi songs, but it doesn’t bore you due to the more modern way it has been arranged. The vocals are great, but Anmol’s amateurish parts seem like an interruption into Shreya Ghoshal’s professional-sounding parts. Shreya sounds as ravishing as ever, and as always, hits the high notes beautifully. She sang the “holi holi holi yeh kyaaaa ho gaya” so beautifully, no wonder she is called the Nightingale. Anmol doesn’t sound hideous, but still serves as a kind of unwanted interruption. At the end wonderful kathak bols make up a beautiful conclusion. Kausar’s lyrics are very sweet, and the Krishna connection she has made makes the song even more beautiful to hear. A treat for classical music lovers!

So this song just only released today, as a bonus track. It is a beautiful, breezy Sufi melody, and has a very charming touch to it. Anu Malik’s composition barely sounds like an Anu Malik composition, it sounded more to me like something composed by a Salim-Sulaiman, or a Pritam. The reason will be clear to you after you hear its mukhda. The same charm that accompanies the songs of the two aforementioned composers, is present in this song. Until of course, Anu Malik takes the unconventional route and switches track to an amazing Sufi detour, which is probably the most welcome detour of the world. The antaras are amazing, but a bit ordinary as compared to the rest of the song. One line in the antara gets all sinister and dark, reminding one of Vishal Bhardwaj. But then the mukhda, with its beautiful notes, returns. The rhythm in the mukhda, where the guitars are played so soothingly, in a play-stop-play-stop manner, is so infectious, you just nod your head along to that rhythm. The other arrangements too, are very impressive, especially that majestic sarangi that starts off the song. In the Sufi detour that makes up the hookline, amazing tablas play, and that guitar keeps rocking. Arijit sings in his trademark charming voice, and changes from a feathery whisper of a voice to a blooming voice very easily. His effortless rendition really etches a place for itself in your heart. This song has been penned by Rahat Indori, the Lyricist who has worked with Anu Malik so many times in his peak time in the 90s, and the latest in ‘Gali Gali Chor Hai’ (2012). He has written such a poetic song, as he always has done in the past, and I just became so happy on hearing the lyrics. A perfect song to close the album!

Rating: 4.5/5

Begum Jaan is like a throwback to the songs of yore. Barring the new bonus track, the album has evident shades of nostalgic melodies that remind one of the old Bollywood songs, and Anu Malik does a great job in recreating the 1947-ish era with his music. The album is full of poignant melodies that are high on the musical quotient, if not high on repeat value (for some). All I can say is, puraana zamaana naya ho gaya, yeh kya ho gaya!

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